Sunday's letters to the editor

Irresponsible assistance

Re: "Food stamp glitch puts 27K in peril," March 13. I was unaware of the state's responsibility to send out reminders to food stamp recipients to maintain eligibility. I do not understand why the state insists on exploiting the dependency needs of people.

We often talk and debate the rights of people. We also need to talk and debate the responsibilities of people. If a person needs assistance, he or she needs to be responsible and maintain his or her eligibility in whatever manner the state deems necessary. It should not be the responsibility of the state to remind the person.

So the glitch in my mind is the continued exploitation of people's dependency needs by the state. A responsible journalist would see the state's failure to remind the recipients not as a glitch but instead would comment on the individuals' responsibility to maintain eligibility.

Maybe if we went back to the days of actual food stamps people would know when they needed to replenish their supply as opposed to a credit card that gives them a false since of security.

Yes, I am old and a red neck who has been poor and hungry and I did work hard to pay my way. I also know that people need help and that we do need to provide safety net programs - but food stamp and welfare credit cards and free cell phones, not so much!

Bud Flaherty, Sanibel

Obamacare good start

Florida people, you must be sick and tired of hearing and reading political hopefuls talking down the Affordable Care Act. They will never ever be able to repeal it so why campaign against it.

I think it is time we had a health care program that is helping people like you and me - people with friends and family who now can get heath care insurance because they will accept you even if you have had a pre-existing health condition.

People are getting paid back checks from insurance companies when they don't use the insurance coverage for home health care like a visiting nurse and caregivers. These people can now remain in their homes, be treated there, and in many cases will not have to go to nursing homes.

Some people pay a premium to the insurance company although they won't use the coverage because they are still healthy. With ACA, these insured people are getting their money back in their income tax returns because they are paying in to something that they do not need at this time. So "Obamacare" gives these healthy people their money back instead of making the insurance companies rich. These are a few benefits that this program is doing for people now and more good things are coming.

Florida people and people of the United States: stop listening to the made up lies of talk radio. Use your heads. Don't listen to the rhetoric of politicians who want to somehow make you believe that the Affordable Care Act is a bad thing. It is not perfect, but it is a good start to easing the wallets and pocketbooks of the middle class and in fact all walks of life.

This is an emotional argument without a factual basis. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) tells us that comprehensive immigration reform will increase our economic growth. We are already paying for all the major costs that Mr. Murphy cites. The kids of "undocumented" immigrants have been in our public schools for generations, when these illegal immigrants get seriously ill and no longer can deal with it, they go to hospital emergency rooms or publicly supported clinics and when they're convicted of a crime, we pay for their prosecution, defense and incarceration. Bottom line, we are have been paying for all this and we will continue to do so.

Currently, these illegal immigrants are either working off the books or using illegal identification. If they had legal status, they would be paying income, Social Security and Medicare taxes, and they would be required to have health insurance.

This is the factual economic argument. I suppose the "right thing to do" argument would be a waste of time with those who agree with Mr. Murphy.

Martin Harris, Cape Coral

Bragging for naught

Last month, when the Labor Department reported the monthly employment report for January, the president, while signing the Farm Bill in East Lansing, Mich., celebrated the reported drop in the unemployment rate from 6.7 percent to 6.6 percent, even though the financial press was expressing concern about the reported "dismal" creation of 74,000 thousand new jobs.

This week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its new February report and although the unemployment rate moved back up to 6.7 percent, we can expect a White House celebration over the reported 175,000 new jobs.

Again we'll hear about the administration's successful policies that have created anywhere between 3 million and 8.1 million jobs (you pick 'em) since the president took office. You might take these claims with "a grain of salt" as we have learned that interpreting these monthly government reports is about as confusing as reading chicken entrails must be. Readers should take these loose claims with skepticism for the following reasons.

The BLS reports these statistics on two bases, an unadjusted basis and a seasonally adjusted basis. The adjusted basis unemployment rate ended up to be 6.7 percent last month, the unadjusted rate was 10.9 percent. The adjusted unemployed population was 10.5 million; the unadjusted was 10.9 million. There were 11.6 million more in the adjusted civilian labor force than there was in the unadjusted one. You get the picture.

Finally, about the 175,000 new jobs in January. While there was nominal (negative or positive) growth in construction, manufacturing, financial services, retail sectors, 80 percent (140,000) of those jobs were "private service-providing" jobs, which covers almost all non-governmental service jobs ranging from custodial jobs to tax preparation assignments to tourist season serving jobs. A category dominated by part-time, seasonal and temporary jobs.

Too much bragging? Does "keep your doctor, your plan" come to mind?

TG Thomson, Bonita Springs

Universe created

The TV series COSMOS shown on National Geographic channel, is historical fiction. All of the evolutionary beliefs in the COSMOS story are based on a denial of the Christian God. The false claim that evolution is science while creation is only religion, is used as a club to deny the real God of the Bible.

What scientific fact can prove the Big Bang even possible? There is no scientific principle that can explain how nothing could have exploded, at a very high temperature, and that the debris later coalesced into all the stars and planets in the Universe.

It defies science to think that dead material can suddenly become alive. It defies science to think that millions of accidental minor small changes built one on top of another can evolve from a single molecule to the complex body of humans - with two sexes.

COSMOS shows how far into the unbelievable unknown some scientists are willing to go to deny the real God of the Bible. Genesis explains what really happened.

William E. Nowers, Fort Myers

Harmful leadership

Parker on Politics, Feb. 1, revealed an insidious pattern and practice of rampant political cronyism by leadership in the Lee County Republican Party. Lee County's Republican Executive Committee Chairman Terry Miller works as a political consultant for state representatives Matt Caldwell and Ray Rodrigues, and County Commissioner Brian Hamman. All three run this fall. Miller's involvement with their campaigns is unethical and a blatant conflict of interest.

While Miller states that there is no rule prohibiting party leaders from doing such work, and that he still has the right to make a living and support his family, mainstream Republicans need to decide if Miller's "hired gun" approach to making a living at the expense of a transparent political process and equity for all Republican candidates is in the best interest of the Republican Party and our representative form of government.

Miller states, "I keep my political work and the party work separate," adding that the party does not endorse in the primary. Miller's insistence that his political work remains separate from his party work does not even pass the straight face test and his comment concerning endorsement of candidates in the primary is not true.

In fact, former Lee County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Gary Lee broke Ronald Reagan's 11 commandment, "thou shall not speak ill of any fellow Republican" years ago resulting in party leadership selecting and supporting certain handpicked candidates over the will of the voters.

Veterans in our armed services have placed country before self to protect our freedom and liberty while giving the people the opportunity to select their elected representatives. Powerful political party bosses have no right to undermine our representative government and subvert the election process.

Ray Judah, Fort Myers

Perceptive economics

Re: "Minimum wage," Lynne Sparrow, March 2. Ms. Sparrow brought up the idea of raising the minimum wage to $20 per hour, essentially a threefold increase over the present minimum wage. If Ms. Sparrow had ever taken a good economics course, she would know better than to ever suggest any such thing. Increase the minimum wage to $20 an hour and see what happens.

A worker currently earning $20 per hour would then be making minimum wage. He, too, would want a threefold pay raise to $60 per hour. Then someone earning $50 per hour would also want his hourly pay tripled to $150 per hour. One whole of a lot more money would be needed.

So the Bureau of Printing and Engraving cranks up the printing presses and triples, or inflates, the amount of available currency, thus deflating its value.

A "new" dollar bill would have the purchasing power of 33 cents in today's money. The $8 pound of steak you bought yesterday would now cost $24 per pound in the new lower value currency. The $30,000 new automobile jumps in cost to $90,000.

Your $3,000 per month pension check now can purchase what $1,000 bought before the value of money dropped. Retirees would be in serious financial trouble.

Not a pleasant scenario, is it?

I submit that a substantial increase in the minimum wage will do one whole of a lot more damage than good. Employment, especially of workers currently earning minimum wage, will decline. There will be fewer burger flippers at the Golden Arches because fewer people will be able to afford burgers. The economic law of supply and demand kicks in.

Wally World will lay off more cashiers and install more computerized checkout stations to save having to pay low-skill workers that $20 per hour minimum wage.

What can be done to raise the minimum wage? I suggest tying increases in the minimum wage, and to all wages and pensions, to the consumer price index. Doing this would add a degree of economic protection to virtually everybody.

David Rotthoff, North Fort Myers

Heartfelt opinion

Re: "The government didn't give us right to own guns, which is good, since Second Amendment is moot, Gerald Petersen, Feb. 23. Is Mr. Petersen's opposing gun ownership because "the right was never granted," or is he in favor of it since it's covered by "the natural right of property."

His claim: nowhere in the Constitution is stated the right to "own" arms. My points: First, the Second Amendment is part of the Constitution and it refers to the right to "keep and bear arms." Second, is he claiming that "keep and bear" is materially different from "own?" That's a reach! Hasn't the Supreme Court stated that individuals have rights under the Second Amendment, not just in context of a regulated militia? This refutes Petersen's assertion that the National Guard Act made the Second Amendment "moot."

This comes across as more of a "straddle" than an "opinion." That can happen when one combines an argument about constitutionality with one's heartfelt opinion about guns.

Look to the Founders' statements as an aid in understanding their intention: "Arms in the hands of the citizens may be used at individual discretion for defense of the country... or private self defense" - John Adams.

Steve Bakke, Fort Myers

Convenient flip-flops

It has been reported lately that the new Republican mantra and theme for the upcoming campaign is that we have an "Imperial Presidency." The claim is that President Obama is bypassing Congress and issuing executive orders in order to further his agenda.

It was therefore with a great deal of amusement that I read Gov. Scott wants the president to do just that regarding the flood insurance increases. To quote the governor: "There's a lot of talk in Washington, not enough action. They've been talking about this for months... The President can do this on his own." Hilarious!

This brings me to Sen. Rubio. Willing to let the country default on its debt and willing to shut down the government over budget issues, he changes his tune when his wealthy waterfront friends are asked to shoulder their fair share of insurance costs.

All of a sudden, Sen. Rubio undergoes an epiphany and is willing to add to the debt and deficit. Too bad he can't get those balky tea party House Republicans to flip-flop with him. Sometimes, politics is way too much fun.

Don Clark, Fort Myers

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Sunday's letters to the editor

Irresponsible assistanceRe: 'Food stamp glitch puts 27K in peril,' March 13. I was unaware of the state's responsibility to send out reminders to food stamp recipients to maintain eligibility. I do